Congratulations Robbie Gray - AFLCA Champion Player Of The Year

[Modified Dog]

Robbie Gray has been one of the best afield tonight versus Carlton. A consistent performer over the four quarters.
edit: 31 possessions, 7 clearances, 5 tackles, 4 goals and 3 assists

You could raffle the votes amongst a number of Port Adelaide players. Gray, Boak, Hartlett, Pittard, Cornes, Westhoff have all been good, but I reckon it's a safe bet Ken Hinkley will give him at least 3 or 4 votes, probably 5 votes


Round 21 Leaderboard
95 Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle) - suspended for 2 matches
92 Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide) - Rd 22 votes pending
83 Josh Kennedy (Sydney) - hamstring tightness, not playing this weekend
72 Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
72 Matthew Priddis (West Coast)
70 Lance Franklin (Sydney)
68 Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
65 Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
64 Joel Selwood (Geelong)
61 Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn)


Costly suspension for Nat Fyfe. Well, it's probably cost him this award, for whatever it's worth. I reckon he has been the best player in 2014 (along with Buddy and Gazza until Rd 16.) He probably should've won this award, but you can't fault Gray's consistency.

Gray has polled votes in 16 of 20 completed games. After this round, it will be 17 from 21.

AFL Coaches' Player Of The Year
2014 - Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
2013 - Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
2012 - Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
2011 - Marc Murphy (Carlton)
2010 - Dane Swan (Collingwood)
2009 - Gary Ablett (Geelong)
2008 - Gary Ablett (Geelong)
2007 - Gary Ablett (Geelong)
2006 - Simon Goodwin (Adelaide) & Adam Goodes (Sydney)
2005 - Barry Hall (Sydney)
2004 - Warren Tredrea (Port Adelaide)
2003 - Nathan Buckley (Collingwood)


He must be half a chance for the Brownlow when you consider Port have won 14 games
He might not get enough BOGs - he'll probably get a ton of 1 and 2 votes (like Murphy in 2011)
Still, his current odds of $15.00 represents some value.

Brownlow betting:
$3.00 - Joel Selwood
$4.00 - Gary Ablett
$9.00 - Josh Kennedy
$9.00 - Matt Priddis
$9.00 - Scott Pendlebury
$10.00 - Dyson Heppell
$14.00 - Lance Franklin
$15.00 - Robbie Gray
$21.00 - Travis Boak
$26.00 - Trent Cotchin
$31.00 - Jordan Lewis
$31.00 - Patrick Dangerfield
$34.00 - Dayne Beams
$51.00 - Michael Barlow
$51.00 - Aaron Sandilands
$51.00 - Dustin Martin
$51.00 - Nathan Jones


edit: Jeebus, I thought I was giving you guys the newsflash, but Bruce McAvaney trumped me as I was typing out this post

 

[ep2018]

Sneaky chance for Brownlow? I agree

 

[Kakkle]

Sneaky chance for Brownlow? I agree

He'll be right up there.

Great effort. In hindsight, that knee injury is probably the best thing that could've happened for him.

 

[vide0n]

Casual observers would cry rivers of salty tears if he won the Brownlow

 

[the harry]

Round 21 Leaderboard
95 Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle) - suspended for 2 matches
92 Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide) - Rd 22 votes pending
83 Josh Kennedy (Sydney) - hamstring tightness, not playing this weekend
72 Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
72 Matthew Priddis (West Coast)
70 Lance Franklin (Sydney)
68 Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
65 Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
64 Joel Selwood (Geelong)
61 Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn)

Midfielders award.........

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

Should get the 10 votes today which will do it.

 

[eathb]

Hinkley just confirmed that he will give Gray 5 votes (any addition depends on what Mick gives him) so he has won it.

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

Kenny just said in his after match presser that he is giving Robbie Gray 5 votes for tonight's game

 

[ManWithNoName]

This years Brownlow really could be a Bradbury type night.

 

[bombermick]

His rise from flashy-yet-inconsistent small forward to midfield gun has been extraordinary. Port's 06 draft was amazing ...

 

[TheFVK]

Been backing him in from $251 for this thing. Epic effort, a shining example for any player coming back from a serious knee injury

 

[Whiskers]

Yet we will all celebrate an award the umpires give over coaches.

 

[eaglespremiers]

His rise from flashy-yet-inconsistent small forward to midfield gun has been extraordinary.

They said his pre-season in '07 was outstanding.
Wait, who are we talking about?

 

[eaglespremiers]

Yet we will all celebrate an award the umpires give over coaches.

Do you see that Priddis is sitting in the top 5?

 

[Puddy]

His transformation from small forward to mid mirrors Ablett

 

[eaglespremiers]

His transformation from small forward to mid mirrors Ablett

Ah, that's who I was thinking of.

 

[Whiskers]

Do you see that Priddis is sitting in the top 5?

Yes, SC captain, I rate!

 

[Modified Dog]

Midfielders award.........

They're all midfielders awards. Everyone knows that.

Check out the winners of the 2008 awards for a snapshot of the bias against forwards.

Buddy Franklin kicked 113 goals. He won the Best and Fairest for the premiership team and he also won the Coleman Medal. He didn't play as a true full forward like Brendon Fevola, but roved around as a hybrid HF/FF. It's doubtful anyone has ever kicked 100 goals and spent so much of the game-time away from the goals as Franklin in '08. But was his season good enough for a Brownlow, MVP or AFLCA award? Apparently not.

AFLCA coaches award - Gary Ablett
Players MVP award - Gary Ablett
Brownlow Medal - Adam Cooney

Gazza couldn't even win his own club best and fairest. Joel Corey won it easily.
Cooney won the Brownlow, but Daniel Cross won the Bulldogs' best and fairest (easily)

The first 5 vote-getters in the Brownlow were all midfielders.
Richo and Goodes spent some time up forward, but they mostly played midfield roles in '08
None of the Brownlow Top 5 were the best player at their own club (according to their own coaches)

2008 Brownlow
1. 24 votes - Adam Cooney - 2nd in best and fairest. Winner: Daniel Cross (easily)
2. 23 votes - Simon Black - 2nd in best and fairest. Winner: Jonathan Brown
3. 22 votes - Gary Ablett - 2nd in best and fairest. Winner: Joel Corey (easily)
4. 22 votes - Matt Richardson - 3rd in best and fairest. Winner: Brett Deledio (easily)
5. 21 votes - Adam Goodes - not even in the Top 10 of the b&f. Winner: Jarrad McVeigh
6. 20 votes - Lance Franklin - won the best & fairest, Coleman medal and premiership medal


Buddy deserved to win all the awards in 2008. He was that good. But people got down on him for not kicking 8 goals every week. The media used to praise his opponent for holding him to 5 or 6 goals.

Ablett would roam around gathering 35 possessions every week - half of them handballs out the back of the pack and everyone would give him the BOG every week because of his little dance steps.

Everyone grades the forwards (and defenders) more harshly than midfielders. Mistakes and slack efforts are amplified closer to goal. Mistakes and poor efforts from the good midfielders are often overlooked. They don't draw the same level of criticism from media and spectators. And don't they moan about it when they cop a bit of extra defensive attention. The good forwards get the hard tag every single weekend. Imagine if the forwards could signal to the ump for a free kick like Ablett does.

A promising young midfielder has one decent season, and people pump them up as a superstar of the AFL. Small forwards such Ballantyne and Breust must produce the goods for 3-4 successive years before anyone will concede they're good players. They are the best in AFL at what they do, but I still notice idiots bagging them out a fair bit.

Hayden Ballantyne
2009 - 8 games, 10 goals, 3 assists. (Avg: 10.9 poss, 4.9 contested, 1.8 tackles)
2010 - 19 games, 33 goals, 16 assists. (Avg: 13.9 poss, 5.6 contested, 3.3 tackles)
2011 - 17 games, 23 goals, 10 assists. (Avg: 15.1 poss, 5.9 contested, 3.5 tackles)
2012 - 21 games, 31 goals, 11 assists. (Avg: 15.1 poss, 7.3 contested, 3.8 tackles)
2013 - 21 games, 34 goals, 17 assists. (Avg: 13.1 poss, 5.5 contested, 3.1 tackles)
2014 - 17 games, 42 goals, 11 assists. (Avg: 12.1 poss, 4.8 contested, 2.3 tackles)

Luke Breust
2011 - 17 games, 30 goals, 14 assists. (Avg: 12.2 poss, 5.8 contested, 2.9 tackles) *6 games as sub
2012 - 24 games, 45 goals, 26 assists. (Avg: 15.6 poss, 7.5 contested, 4.7 tackles)
2013 - 25 games, 40 goals, 31 assists. (Avg: 14.6 poss, 7.5 contested, 4.4 tackles)
2014 - 20 games, 51 goals, 26 assists. (Avg: 15.8 poss, 7.7 contested, 3.1 tackles)


Even this year, not very many people are talking up Buddy Franklin's chances for the Brownlow or MVP awards. He is fully deserving of both, IMO, but they'll probably give the chockies to the best midfielders once again.

 

[the harry]

They're all midfielders awards. Everyone knows that.

That's my point......

 

[Plugger35]

He's been in my SC team all year so I've followed him a fair bit in games and he'd be as worthy as anyone for a Brownlow of any remaining eligible players.

He deserves all the accolades that comes his way, he's a gun.

 

[manboob]

This years Brownlow really could be a Bradbury type night.

You'd wanna hope whoever wins it really comes out with a big 30 rather than limping over Ablett with 21... unless it's Selwood then I don't care

 

[autocol]

Mistakes and slack efforts are amplified closer to goal.

That's the main contributor I reckon. People too easily recall mistakes by forwards and defenders because of their drastic and immediate effect on the scoreboard.

 

[Modified Dog]

That's my point......

Yeah, I agreeing with you.

I like Robbie Gray because he does all of his damage in the front half of the ground, where the action is hotter and there are extra opposition players trying to stop him. He is a threat to score (or create a score) every time he finds a bit of space and gets the ball.

 

[Plugger35]

You'd wanna hope whoever wins it really comes out with a big 30 rather than limping over Ablett with 21... unless it's Selwood then I don't care

Lenny Hayes winning a dark horse Brownlow would be immense.

He's had a pretty good year but our lack of wins will probably cost him the 3 votes.

The best Brownlow was when Richo was the dark horse in his last year and nearly stole it, everyone was cheering for him apart from Ablett.

 

[manboob]

Lenny Hayes winning a dark horse Brownlow would be immense.

He's had a pretty good year but our lack of wins will probably cost him the 3 votes.

The best Brownlow was when Richo was the dark horse in his last year and nearly stole it, everyone was cheering for him apart from Ablett.

It would be great end to a great career - if any year is gonna be where low 20s will it - it's this year.